


One Step Forward

by parasolghost



Series: Haikyuu!! Rarepair Week [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: HQ Rarepair Week, M/M, day 1: beginnings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 16:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3616062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parasolghost/pseuds/parasolghost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the end of their middle school days, Kunimi begins to wonder if what he feels for Kindaichi is a bit different from close friendship.</p>
<p>Written for hqrarepair week day 1!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Step Forward

In their third year of middle school, Kunimi and Kindaichi’s time on the Kitagawa Daiichi volleyball team had ended earlier than they had originally planned. Sure, they had ended it on their terms when they turned their backs on their own setter to make a point and they had both realized that there was another court waiting for them anyway, but there had been a feeling of unease lingering between them that they just could not place. It was as if there was another layer of consequence in store for them that they just didn’t realize at the time.

It came to them though, one Friday night when Kunimi had come home late. He stumbled into his bedroom with his eyelids drooping and more sleepy than usual (which, was honestly saying a lot since Kunimi was normally very sleepy). He opened the blinds of his bedroom to see Kindaichi standing in his volleyball shirt and shorts on the balcony across from Kunimi’s. He wrinkled his nose at the sight of Kindaichi’s inappropriate dress on such a cold night before stepping outside onto his own balcony.

“Aren’t you cold?” Kunimi asked as he approached the railing, leaning his head on his hands.

Their respective balconies were very close to each other to the point where either of them could climb over to visit the other if they really wanted to. However, ever since Kunimi had moved into this house five years ago, most of the time it was Kindaichi climbing over to Kunimi’s room rather than the other way around.

“No, why would I be cold?” Kindaichi scoffed, despite the goosebumps on his shoulders. “Aren’t you late? I’ve been waiting for you to get home _forever_.”

“Sorry, I had cram school,” Kunimi said through a yawn.

“Again? Gross,” Kindaichi said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

“Yeah, I know.”

“Well, you’re back now—do you wanna come over and play that video game I got last week?” Kindaichi asked, bouncing on his heels as he leaned over the railing.

Kunimi hummed thoughtfully. “Not today,” he answered. “I have to study.”

Kindaichi frowned as he reached over to prod Kunimi’s head. “You’re not becoming a nerd on me already, are you? We’re not even in high school yet!”

“Yeah, but my mother wants me to get into a good high school,” Kunimi explained with a shrug. “It’s too much trouble to argue with her, so I’ll just study.”

Kindaichi furrowed his eyebrows together and shrugged. “I guess,” he mumbled.

“Have fun playing your game though,” Kunimi said in parting, turning towards his room.

“Okay, see you tomorrow,” Kindaichi said as Kunimi closes the sliding door behind him and closes his blinds.

As Kunimi sat down at his table, opening his entrance exam books in front of him, it suddenly occurred to him just how little Kindaichi studied. He wondered if Kindaichi was actually studying for his entrance exams at all and worry began to prod at him. However, Kunimi pushed the thought out of his mind, picking up his pencil to get back to work—surely Kindaichi wasn’t _that_ irresponsible.

After about fifteen minutes, the silence in his room and his boredom at reading a boring passage began to lull Kunimi to sleep. However, he had not closed his eyes for more than five minutes when he was rudely awoken by the sound of a fist banging against his balcony door.

“ _Kunimi you lazy bastard, open this door before I freeze to death!_ ” Kindaichi’s voice called.

Sure enough, when Kunimi turned his head, his drowsy eyes could make out Kindaichi with a stack of books in his arms knocking on the glass. He looked pretty mad, but not mad enough for Kunimi to get up. So Kunimi closed his eyes and turned away, silently hoping that Kindaichi would leave him to sleep.

“ _I saw you wake up! Kunimi, you asshole—“_

Kunimi groaned, pushing himself up to his feet and walking over to his door with the meanest glare he could manage as he threw open his door. “Why.”

“I need you to help me study for entrance exams,” Kindaichi declared.

Kunimi stared at him blankly for a good while, watching as Kindaichi began to fidget with his books, biting his lip. “Did it just occur to you that we had entrance exams?” Kunimi asked and Kunimi’s ears glowed in his embarrassment.

“Look, I planned on getting scouted okay?” Kindaichi explained, looking away sheepishly.

Kunimi stared at Kindaichi for a moment before giving a reluctant sigh. “Don’t blame me if your parents get mad at you for sneaking out,” he said simply, moving to the side for Kindaichi to step in.

“It’s fine, I left a note,” Kindaichi said with a shrug as he steps past him, dropping the books onto the table.

Kunimi sat down next to him as Kindaichi opened up an exam practice book. “That’s wrong,” Kunimi said almost immediately as he spied the one problem Kindaichi had actually finished.

“I know, why else would I climb over here for help if I could figure it out myself?” Kindaichi asked, pushing his book over so Kunimi could get another look at it. “Help me.”

Despite his eye-rolling, Kunimi helped Kindaichi with his work before they fell into a silence as they studied on their own for a bit. Although Kunimi was normally one to prefer the lack of verbal communication, he suddenly realized that he suddenly felt very aware of Kindaichi working next to him.

The taller boy was really not what anyone would call a quiet studier. He was constantly cursing and groaning in frustration, tapped his pen against the table too loudly, and even flipped the pages of his notebooks noisily. Kindaichi’s brows were furrowed in concentration and he chewed on his bottom lip, his free hand messing up his spiked hair. Kindaichi was being the exact opposite of Kunimi’s ideal studying partner—quiet, focused, practically nonexistent, honestly. However, Kunimi found that he didn’t mind Kindaichi’s annoying studying habits. In fact, if anything, he found them rather endearing.

“What?”

Kindaichi’s voice snapped Kunimi out of his trance and Kunimi found himself looking at the other boy, who’s looking at Kunimi with an eyebrow raised. It was then that Kunimi noticed that he had been staring.

That was odd.

“Is something wrong?” Kindaichi asked.

Luckily for Kunimi, he was never one to blush easily and had considerable control over his facial expressions. However, when he looked away, he still felt heat rising in his cheeks. “I thought there was something weird on your face, but it was just you,” Kunimi covered up simply, smirking as Kindaichi’s expression dropped from one of confusion to horror.

“Don’t be a jerk, you lazy asshole,” Kindaichi said, nudging Kunimi with his shoulder, only for Kunimi to nudge right back. Kunimi pushed his confusion out of his mind, figuring it was a problem he’d save for another day.

* * *

There were girls huddled by the entrance of their classroom during their break, and Kunimi’s classmates, including Kindaichi, are discussing it in hushed, excited tones around him. There was no question that someone in the classroom was going to be confessed to—confessions were happening in their year so much more often now that they were about to graduate soon. Although Kindaichi seemed just as excited and involved with the gossip as everyone else. Kunimi preferred not to get involved.

Kunimi laid his head on his desk watching as Kindaichi laughed at something someone had said, his smile wide and his expression as honest as usual. Kindaichi had been the subject of Kunimi’s thoughts a lot recently, and that, in itself, was already enough trouble for Kunimi’s lifetime. He had constantly been trying to reason with himself, chalking up his increasing awareness with Kindaichi as something that friends just do, or explaining his sudden urge to cling to Kindaichi’s presence as a short phase that will soon pass after graduation, but Kunimi was yet to explain the odd feeling in his chest when their arms brushed or when Kindaichi smiled.

The classroom door finally slides open and the class goes silent while Kunimi buried his head in his arms. After all, this sort of thing was none of his business and he wouldn’t want anyone to get the impression that he was interested in all of this.

However, when Kunimi heard footsteps cross the classroom and pause next to him, he almost swore at his misfortune.

“Akira-kun?” the girl said quietly. Kunimi looked up to see her fidgeting with the hem of her sweater as she bit her lip. Everyone is looking at them with mischievous smiles and wide-eyed curiosity. “Um, can I…” the girl gulped, “Can I talk to you afterschool today? By the gates?”

Kunimi recognized the girl as someone from the classroom three doors down. They had gym together before, he thought, but he did not recall talking to her in the slightest—he didn’t even remember her name. However, as he watched her tremble and her lip quiver at his hesitation he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

“Sure,” he replied finally, watching as the slightest sigh of relief escaped her lips.

“Thank you! I’ll see you then!” she said so quickly before speed walking out of the classroom to her friends, shutting the door behind her.

Someone behind Kunimi whistled and another few prod his shoulder, asking him for details and congratulating him on scoring such a cute girl. However, Kindaichi, who would have normally been the first to tease Kunimi about something like this, was staring at Kunimi with his eyes wide and his mouth snapped shut.

“Is there something wrong?” Kunimi asked him when the break had ended.

“It’s nothing,” Kindaichi grumbled as he took his seat diagonally behind Kunimi.

For the rest of the day, Kunimi could practically feel Kindaichi’s eyes boring into the back of his head, but every time he peeked back to look at Kindaichi, the taller boy would very obviously look away with a frown on his lips. It made Kunimi wonder if he had done something wrong, but he hadn’t really done anything at all since lunch.

_Maybe he likes that girl from earlier?_ Kunimi began to wonder. As the thought crossed his mind, Kunimi felt the slightest pang in his chest and he tore his eyes from Kindaichi.

How odd indeed.

The rest of the afternoon seemed to crawl by, but Kunimi managed to reject the girl politely after school. He was thankful she didn’t cry or anything, in fact, she looked rather relieved and she thanked him for his time. For a moment Kunimi felt guilty for not knowing her name.

However, it was a little later now and, factoring in Kindaichi’s impatience and his expression this afternoon, it was unlikely that Kindaichi would have waited for him. Kunimi pouted to himself and straightened his bag. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t walk back home by himself, but he always preferred not to do it. Walking with Kindaichi always made Kunimi feel more at ease, not to mention the fact that Kunimi had almost no sense of direction.

Kunimi headed towards the school gates with a huff, burying his hands in his pockets as he walked through them.

“Hey.”

Kunimi froze in his steps and looked over his shoulder to see Kindaichi leaning against the gate, his hands buried in his pockets and his face hidden behind a scarf.

“Hey,” Kunimi responded. “I thought you left.”

“Why would I leave, you’d get lost if you had to walk home by yourself,” Kindaichi scoffed. They continued their walk, but fell into an uncomfortable silence. It was odd for Kindaichi not to say anything on a walk home—he normally always had something to complain about.

“So,” Kindaichi began again awkwardly.

“So,” Kunimi echoed.

“So, how… did it go?” he asked, not looking Kunimi in the eye.

Kunimi hummed. “I rejected her,” he said, shrugging her.

“Wait, really?” Kindaichi asked, his eyes wide. “She was cute, though.”

“I don’t even know her name.”

“Oh,” Kindaichi said simply and suddenly his footsteps adopted a new bounce.

Kunimi raised an eyebrow at him, nudging the other boy with his elbow. “Did you like her or something?” he asked.

“Oh, uh,’ Kindaichi frowned. “I don’t really know her either? So, no.”

“Hmm… Whatever you say, I guess,” Kunimi said, dropping the topic. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of relief at Kindaichi’s response. After all, Kindaichi was a pretty nice guy—if he got a girlfriend, he’d spend more time with her than Kunimi and he wouldn’t really like that.

“Hey, Kunimi.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know which school you want to go to yet?” Kindaichi asked. They stopped in front of the railroad tracks and watched as the train cars sped by.

“I’m not really sure,” Kunimi answered as the train finally passed. His mother wanted him to go to a good school, which was understandable because Kindaichi did have the grades to make it. “Do you?”

“Aoba Jousai,” Kindaichi answered almost immediately. “It’s close to home and Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san are there.”

Kunimi whistled mischievously. “Oh, ‘Iwaizumi-san,’ huh?”

Kindaichi flushed bright red and looked away, covering his face with his hand and Kunimi felt his stomach swoop. “Shut up, okay? That was years ago—I’m over it.”

“Sure you are—your face makes it very clear,” Kunimi teased as Kindaichi shoved him lightly.

“God, why are we friends,” Kindaichi grumbled, despite the smile on his face.

“I’m a wonderful friend,” Kunimi said. “You wouldn’t hang out with me otherwise.” He smiled as Kindaichi scoffed at him.

“I’m gonna miss you though,” Kindaichi said quietly after a while, the air between them becoming serious. “Y’know, if you go to another school.”

“We’ll still live across from each other though,” Kunimi pointed out.

“I guess,” the taller boy shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the same though.”

Kunimi looked away, staring at his feet. He supposed Kindaichi was right. Kunimi couldn’t even imagine walking home without Kindaichi or playing volleyball without him anymore. What if they got other friends or one of them got a girlfriend and they couldn’t hang out anymore (even the mere thought of Kindaichi getting a girlfriend was absolutely terrifying to Kunimi).

Kindaichi walked Kunimi up to his doorstep and raised an eyebrow when Kunimi didn’t head towards the door and only stared at him. “What?”

“I think I’ll go to Aoba Jousai as well,” Kunimi said simply.

Kindaichi’s eyes widened. “Wh—wait, what?”

“Seijou’s close to home and it’d be nice to play volleyball with someone familiar,” Kunimi continued.

“Wait, but you could go to any school you wanted, you know?” Kindaichi said. “Even Shiratorizawa.”

“I guess so,” Kunimi shrugged, wrinkling his nose. “Wouldn’t Kageyama be there, though?”

“Oh, fair point,” Kindaichi said with a laugh.

Kunimi chuckled. “Besides,” he continued, “who else would walk me home everyday if you’re not there?”

Kindaichi’s laughter suddenly stopped and his cheeks suddenly seem a bit flushed. “I, um—“ he stammered. “Y-yeah, you’d probably get lost… or something,” Kindaichi said weakly.

“Are you alright?” Kunimi asked as Kindaichi pulled his scarf up towards his face.

“Um, yeah, I’m fine,” Kindaichi said, stepping backwards. “Uh, see you tomorrow.” Kindaichi turned around, almost tripping over his own feet as he sped towards the sidewalk, leaving Kunimi confused on his doorstep.

_That_ , Kunimi thought _, was kind of cute._

* * *

The end of the year and graduation passed so quickly that Kunimi could barely keep up. Before he knew it, he found himself walking away from the train station with Kindaichi by his side, laughing as they made jokes about a TV show they had watched last night.

They stopped in front of the gates of Aoba Jousai and, from the corner of his eye, Kunimi could see Kindaichi bite his lip the slightest bit. Kunimi himself was feeling a tiny bit nervous as well.

“Here we go,” Kindaichi said. “New school, new volleyball team…”

“New setter,” Kunimi added with a tiny smile.

“New setter,” Kindaichi agreed with a grin. They both took deep breaths as they stood on the edge of the sidewalk looking into the school. “At the same time?” Kindaichi asked.

“Sure, on three,” Kunimi said.

“One,” Kindaichi counted. “Two. Three!”

They both stepped forward into the school, both of them holding their breaths as they crossed. A rush of relief fell over Kunimi. When he peeked over at Kindaichi, he saw that the taller boy was still closing his eyes as if bracing for some sort of impact and Kunimi burst into fits of giggles.

Kindaichi opened his eyes, his face flushed when he realized he was caught. “Wh-what? I’m nervous alright?”

“I am, too, but what is closing your eyes going to do?” Kunimi said between laughs.

“I got excited!”

“You’re like a kid—are you sure you graduated?” Kunimi teased as Kindaichi elbowed him in the side.

“That’s it I’m leaving,” Kindaichi said, his cheeks still red as he walked towards the school.

“Hold on—“ Kunimi called as he stepped forward. However, it wasn’t until he was falling that he had tripped over a crack in the cement. His arms flung out to stop himself from hitting the concrete and he braced himself for impact.

It never came. In fact, instead he found himself clutching the arms of Kindaichi, who was looking down at him with a worried expression.

“Look where you’re going, you asshole,” Kindaichi said, his voice stern and concerned. “Are you alright?”

Kunimi’s face was just inches away from Kindaichi’s and his eyes fell immediately on his lips. His heart was beating much too quickly for his liking and suddenly the realization hit him.

  1. Kunimi thought. _So this is what a crush is._



“I’m fine,” he answered, stepping back onto his feet. “I was just too preoccupied by how embarrassing you are.”

“Why did I even help you?” Kindaichi rolled his eyes despite his smile. “C’mon—I’ll really leave you if we’re late on the first day.”

“Alright, alright,” Kunimi said, brushing himself off before following Kindaichi, his heart still pounding. Kunimi clutched the strap of his bag tightly. This was certainly the beginning of something troublesome for Kunimi. Crushes, after all, always seemed like such a hassle that Kunimi never intended on getting involved in.

However, as Kunimi looked up at Kindaichi, who was waiting for him despite his threats, he figured that, maybe, this was something worth putting effort into.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow for some reason this took a lot of effort for me to write?? Hopefully I got Kunimi's character down, he was a little hard to work with!! Speaking of Kunimi it's his birthday!! Happy birthday my cute son
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you'll stick around for the rest of the week!


End file.
